I… think that you will rather like this chapter…

Chapter 4

"Alice," the whisper of a familiar friend comes along. She peeks beyond her eyelids to see the wonder before her. With blurry vision, she sees the white outline of the kindest woman she can meet. She lightly smiles showing the she is conscious. "Oh good, you're awake." The woman says as Alice sees her in full view.

She tries to reply, but the White Queen motions to stay quiet. "All I wanted to know is that you are awake." She says as she brushes the hair out of Alice's eyes. "You have been unconscious for the past three days. I have been at your side for as long as I could for every single moment." she says motioning to someone to the left, "Someone has been here much longer than I have and has long waited for your return." She says as Alice saw who this said person was.

The Mad Hatter

'Hatter,'

Alice starts to move as she sees him sleeping in a chair as his hat covers his face.

'– My Alice -'

She squeals in a sudden remembrance; she quickly tries to scurry in worry, wondering if this is the actual Tarrant she remembers. She tries to motion to the White Queen but can't move any part of her body.

"H-hat…" Alice tries to warn in a very quiet whisper, gasping out the words, she cannot talk well either.

"There were vapors that were canceled in your body. They have paralyzed different fibers of your being under your skin, Alice. It is a miracle that you are conscious as we speak." The queen says as she tries to calm her down. "Can you pick up your hand at all; can you write?" she asks as Tarrant starts to wake to see her moving. Alice's eyes grow very wide starts to get scared. "Alice, what's wrong?"

But before she tries to strain herself she starts writing in the air.

"Alice?" She hears an all too familiar voice to her right as he awakens. The queen waves her hand, and gave a spell which, as Alice writes in the air, ink takes place of her writing as if on paper. Alice slowly lifts her finger and writes her best. She eventually crated a message as clear as her mind would let her.

"Man… Hatter… not Hatter… disguise… He- he was… not… pretended… I felt… pain… I felt… not Hatter… I can't…" she wrote slowly trying to get them to understand with the endless ramble that she continued to write until they figured it out. Exhausted, Alice's hand slammed back down on the plush. She can think clearly… but she can't even write.

Yet, the queen was clever.

"Oh no," the queen said as she suddenly held Alice's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Someone disguised as Tarrant, you mean?" Alice nodded vibrantly starting to cry in confusion. The queen started to worry, "Did you ever get a good look at this man's actual face?" Alice shook her head 'no'. The queen smiled as best as she could. 'Well, you needn't worry." She said as she stood. "This is the actual Tarrant Hightop, I promise you." She said as Alice took a good look at him.

She saw a worried look in his face, pale white face, and bright orange hair… And the eyes, how could she forget the eyes? She cries more as she uses every muscle to reach for him.

"Alice," he shouted in joy as leaned into her. He saw her beautiful face once again, and smiles with glee. He tries to touch her face, but she stays apprehensive and backs away. "Alice?" he whispers as he lays a hand for her to hold. She sees his colored hand with his thimble ring and bandaged thumb. She then looks to his eyes once more and gave a small smile as she slowly took it. He looked up to the queen. "What's this talk of someone...? Who is this man?" He asks in his deathly Scottish tone as his face suddenly turns a shade of red. Alice squealed as she hid her head under his arm and shook her head 'no' like a child.

The queen sighs in frustration. "The only reason why we cannot call Underland "Wonderland" yet, Tarrant." She says as she stands in disappointment. Tarrant's eyes suddenly turn dark yellow and the outline of his eyes turn to black with fury at who they were speaking of.

"NO!" Alice randomly yelled as she forcefully pulled herself away from him and hid her eyes with her arms. "P-pl-please d- don't…" she couldn't finish her sentence without bursting into tears.

"Alice," he returns to normal.

"What's wrong?" the queen asked as she hugged her as if she were a child.

"E-eyes… n- no eyes…Who-" Alice grunts in strong frustration at the lack of sense in her speech. Her emotions wildly change from fear to curiosity. "Please," she says as she tried to sit up then writes in the air again.

"Black eyes… accent… was used... Please… don't get mad…" Her mind was starting to make sense. "Who… thing - who… who is he"

"I'm sorry…" Tarrant said apologizing for his anger trying to stay calm. He understood what she said. "He was me… the bad me; there's another me?" he, became quiet. Alice quietly nodded.

"Alice, this man that you speak of, this is a man of terror," the queen said as she stood. "If my suspicion is correct, his name is Iliad…" she paused. Alice motioned to go on, as she hugged the Hatters arm. But the queen stayed silent as she looked to Tarrant. Tarrant looked to Alice.

"We shall inform you further on who he is later. Right now you need to rest." Queen Mirana said as she looked deeply into Alice's eyes. "I don't want to worry you any further. He cannot get within the Castle grounds. It would be like Lucifer trying to walk into the church." She smiled as she held Alice's hand.

"He's lucky that I was there when I was," the Hatter's imaginations grew knowing who he was and what he wanted. His eyes grew dark once more and he walked out of the white room that Alice just noticed was an infirmary of some sort. She starts to cry as he slowly walked out in anger. She breathes heavily and lets out another squeal.

'He saved me?'

"Alice," the queen turned her head back to focus. "Don't mind him; he is just blowing off steam. Now what you have to do is stay here in Underland; in this castle. I will not have you put into danger" Alice nodded slowly.

Alice nodded.

"Alice, I don't want to frighten you, but this man can take everything that you are worth. He will suck you up dry, and then leave you for dead. He is a monster that will do anything to get to you, my dear." Alice shed yet another tear. "So when we tell you to do something, you need to do it, understand?" Alice started writing once more. "Until this man is dead, you are bound to this castle. I am sorry, Alice but it is what I feel to be safest for you. He knows that he is not allowed and he is waiting for you to come out. If he attempts to arrive, we have many fighters that know just about everyone in this castle, and will make sure that he does not get within 20 meters of you."

"May… may I talk… my mum?"

"When the cards went to get you and saw that you disappeared and when they realized on how much danger they thought you were in, they brought your mother," she said with a nervous smile. Alice looked up, her eyes became bulbous; practically popped out of her head. "I am so sorry about that, and she will see you when she is less… hysterical." She smiled.

"I'm scared…"

"You are protected now, don't be," she said as they stayed close to each other.

No, no, no! He is not going thorough with this! He is going to die even if I have to kill him himself! That… thing has got to be mad if he thinks that he will get to her. No way no how! Just you wait Iliad, if you come close to this castle you are going to die! Mark my words. You are not… are not… you sick son of a biscuit sucking mama calling sweetish groaning horse crying PIECE OF-

"Hatter?" The queen taps his shoulder to come out of his state of play. His whole face is as white as the queen's hair and his eyes are as black and yellow as a thunderstorm. His eyes turn the sweet green once more as does his pick highlight in his face.

"I'm fine," he whispers.

The queen held his head up. "Tarrant, you must keep your temper around Alice," she warned as he became sad. "She cannot handle you when you are upset, understand? Iliad must have really frightened her. You must handle yourself when you are around her. She is at a very vulnerable state and she will be for a while."

"He's going to get to her, I just know it… But I'll be ready; I'll slice his head like butter."

"That is exactly what I mean, Tarrant." She says as he looks to him with saddened eyes and a hurt disposition. "If you cannot control yourself, then you cannot be around her." The queen instructed. "You needn't worry. I am just as upset as you are now. But you mustn't help her worried state. If you stay calm, then it will be easier for us to find Iliad, if he does get her, which is a very slim if," he starts to rage, but she held his hand. "We could spot him right away."

"He is not taking her as long as I am alive, I'll… I'll…" he pauses trying to calm as much as he can. "I'll protect her." He said as calmly as he could.

"That's better, now stay calm," she soothingly said as she motioned to him. "She will be okay."

"She…" he pointed at the door in which Alice stays in. The queen pulls his arm down.

"She is asleep now, let her rest. In her condition, neither you nor she should see each other now." She said leading him away. But he suddenly stops in his tracks.

"Your majesty, I…" he stumbles, "I…"

"I know, Tarrant," she says with a weak but assuring smile as she walks him away.

A~T A~T A~T A~T A~T A~T

Yaaay, another chapter…. And it's actually people that we LIKE! I figured that their reunion was loooong overdue, so I thought that I should indulge my new fans to a little treat. I am locked inside my house today, so I just thought 'what the hell?' and updated.

I am so sorry that it is so short, but I really did try to show as much emotion as I could. Please forgive me, my others will be longer. These chapters used to be REALLY long…. But they ended up being drawn out, and instead of this chapter being a part of chapter 2, I wanted to make it shorter, and a little more interesting